Fireflies
by Elymais
Summary: When a Heroic Knight awakens from a century-long slumber to a new and confusing world, he finds solace in a small-town girl with an appreciation for the little things.


Link stood before the door to the little house in the darkness of the night; he took a few deep breaths, and shot one last glance over his shoulder at the quiet little town behind him. The lamps in Kakariko had long been lit, and most of its denizens had settled into their beds for the night. He took one last deep breath, exhaled, and knocked gently on the door.

A dim ray of light from within the house cut out across the stoop and onto the grass as it opened slightly. From within, a whisper — "Link? That you?"

"It's me, Lasli," he answered, stepping a bit closer.

Lasli opened the door. Her face lit up to see him on the stoop. But her expression quickly changed as she looked around him out into the village. "Anybody see you?"

"Nobody," he answered.

"Good," said Lasli, and she grabbed him by the shirt. He gasped as she pulled him through the door by his collar, then closed the door behind him. She turned her back to the door and leaned back against it, took a deep breath, and then resumed her glowing smile. "I thought you might be here tonight," she whispered, drumming her fingers on the door at her back. Her platinum-coloured hair draped past her shoulders — it was the first time he had seen her without her hair tied up — and she was wearing a simple red and white robe of some calibre of satin. Though his expression remained outwardly neutral, he was in fact somewhat taken aback by her state of undress.

Link's eyes darted around the dimly lit room. "Home alone tonight?"

"Mhm," she answered with a nod. "Grandmother's out by the bonfire at the gate tonight."

"I won't be long, then," said Link.

"Don't feel the need to run off so soon," she said. "I've put on the teapot — have a sit, why don't you?" She cocked her head in the direction of the teapot by the fire. Link turned his head, looking to the porcelain tea set neatly set out. He stared at it silently for a moment, before looking back at Lasli. She lowered her eyes and brushed her hair away from her face. A bit of tension drained out of Link's shoulders as he exhaled.

"I suppose," Link said, scratching at the back of his head, "I should probably take my shoes off?"

Lasli looked up at him, wide eyed and blank for a split second. Then it dawned on her. "Oh! Yeah, please. I forget sometimes, that's not a common thing for Hylians. I don't really have too many friends from out of town."

"Well, maybe it ought to be," said link, kneeling down to work his boots off of his feet. He balanced upon his knee while he fiddled with his opposite boot. "Rather keeps the floors cleaner, I should imagine." The boot came loose — and down he went, losing his balance and spilling upon the floor. He scrambled back up to his knees and looked up — Lasli covered her mouth and looked away slightly, hiding her giggling. He couldn't help but break a smile as he set to work freeing the other boot.

"You're _ever_ so graceful," cooed Lasli, sliding down the door until she was seated at its base next to Link. Her knees broke through the robe as they buckled, and she placed her hands on her thighs to prevent the skirt of the robe from exposing anything more. Link pretended not to notice as his other boot came loose. She took the boots from him and sat them on the opposite side of herself, in the corner by the door. Link seated himself beside her, about half an arm's length away, back to the wall. A warm, fluttery feeling was welling up inside his chest.

"Come on now," said Lasli, standing up and circling in front of Link. She reached her hands down, palms up. "Come on, let's pour the tea before it's ice-cold."

"Wouldn't want that," said link, placing his hands in hers and standing up. She led him over to the fire, had him sit, and poured two small cups of tea. She placed one of the cups in his hands, the porcelain already quite warm from the heat of the tea inside it. The strong scent wafted up to his nose. A little more tension melted out of his body.

"Relax," Lasli commanded softly, seating herself next to him. Her thigh brushed against his own, and the tension that had gone from him shot back through him. He shifted slightly, his shoulders tightening.

"Is this okay?" Lasli asked. Link looked over at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. He lowered his eyes and looked away, and nodded.

"Mhm."

She brushed her hair back, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. "I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?"

"No," Link answered immediately. He lifted the cup to his lips, took a minuscule sip (though still enough to burn his tongue), smacked his lips and added, "Not at all."

"You're sure of that?" she asked. "You know you can always tell me-"

"It's alright," said Link, holding up one hand. "I just, em..." He looked around the room at the shadows cast by the fire. "I don't really have any idea what I'm doing, to be honest. I've got no recollection of much of anything," he explained. He looked back at her, smiled sheepishly, and said, "and certainly not of what it's like to have a friend or anything. I've been pretty well alone since I woke up."

"I understand," said Lasli. She laughed a bit, and continued, "Well — I can't say I understand. I have _no_ idea what that would be like." She placed the cup down and ran both of her hands through her hair, pulling it back away from her face. "But I'm not exactly the social butterfly around here, you know? Grandmother keeps me pretty well a homebody."

"I'm surprised she's not here now," said Link. "You're certain I won't be caught here alone with you?"

"Absolutely," said Lasli, smiling.

"Well, then," said Link, reaching into his satchel. "I've actually brought something for you."

"Oh?" asked Lasli, raising her brow.

"Yeah," Link continued. "So, you remember that night — the last time I was here — that you told me about how you liked fireflies?"

"I do," she replied.

"So, I went out," he went on, producing a small jar from his satchel. Lasli looked down at the jar — it appeared to be empty in the dim light, but all of a sudden there came a flash of light from it. "And I might have nicked a few," he finished, offering up the jar. A look of wonder crossed her face as she took it in her hands, and held it up. Inside the jar, little fireflies were starting to flash in the darkness. A great smile crept across her face and her eyes lit up as she stared into the jar. "I thought you might like it."

"Link, this is-" she fumbled with the jar as she searched for the words. "Honestly? This is wonderful."

"You think so?"

"I do," she said, hugging the jar to her chest. "I absolutely love it. Thank you." She held it up to look into it once more, then looked at Link as she sat it down on the floor next to her. "I know it's not usually your thing, but would you mind — could I at least offer you a hug in return?"

He chuckled a bit at the thought of it. "Of course. I don't mind," he said.

Lasli wrapped her arms around him — a bit of awkward shuffling was in order but a hug was achieved — and she rested her head upon his collarbone for a moment. She let a contented sigh slip out, and closed her eyes for a moment. In that moment, his body relaxed. He placed an arm around her and they melted into each other.


End file.
